The 50 year itch – Is indigenous studies still irritating?

My talk addresses some of the challenges of developing a new and international academic curriculum and domain of research now called Indigenous Studies. This domain of scholarship has emerged from a history of indigenous activism and yes, irritation, of the mainstream western academy. I then pose some questions about what it might mean to become too comfortable in the academy and play with the idea that being irritating could be one of our most powerful contributions to changing the academy.